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BIRD HUNTING - Pennsylvania dove hunters will be able to take to the field Sept. 2 in the first segment of a triple-split season. The first segment ends on Sept. 28. Other dove-hunting segments run from Oct. 26 to Nov. 30 and from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1, 2014. The daily bag limit in each dove-hunting segment has been set at 15, with a possession limit of 45.

Virginia and sora rail hunting will run from Sept. 2 to Nov. 9. Bag limits, singly or combined, are three daily or nine in possession. The season for king and clapper rails remains closed.

Hunting for moorhen and gallinules runs from Sept. 2 to Nov. 9, and the bag limits are three daily and nine in possession. Woodcock season retains its longer format this year, opening on Oct. 19 and closing on Nov. 30. The daily limit remains three, but the possession limit increases to nine.

The season for common snipe also will run from Oct. 19 to Nov. 30, which is the same structure as previous years. The daily limit is 8, and the possession limit is 24.

YOUTH WATERFOWL - Boys and girls 12 to 15 can participate in two Youth Waterfowl Hunts on Sept. 14 and 21. Youth waterfowl days are open to licensed junior hunters who are 12 to 15. To participate, a youngster must have a junior hunting license and be accompanied by an adult, who may assist the youth in calling, duck identification and other aspects of the hunt. During those hunts, youth can harvest ducks, mergansers, coots and moorhens, and both youth and licensed adults can harvest Canada geese.

CREEK SNORKELING - View life in the Brandywine Creek through a diver's mask while snorkeling with naturalist Keith Williams on Saturday at 1 p.m. The group will meet at the Stroud Preserve of the Natural Lands Trust on North Creek Road, West Chester, Chester County. Register at www.natlands.org. Price $25 for adults and $15 for children 12 and younger.

BLAKESLEE HIKE - A guided hike of the Austin T. Blakeslee Natural Area will leave Friday at 9 a.m. from the Route 115 parking lot one-half mile north of Interstate 80 near Blakeslee. Hikers should bring water and expect a the short walk over uneven terrain.

CHESTNUT PROGRAM - A workshop about efforts to restore the American chestnut tree will be held Sept. 7 from 8 a.m. to noon at the Tremont Community Center. During the session, Sara Fitzsimmons of the American Chestnut Foundation will discuss the benefits that chestnuts offer to wildlife. The group also will tour an area where blight-resistant chestnut trees have been planted on mined land. Admission is $5, but includes refreshments and the bus trip to the planted area. Reservations are due by Aug. 31. Telephone 570- 622-3742 ext. 120 to learn more.

KAYAK CLASS - The last kayak class of the year at Tuscarora State Park will be held Sept. 2 at 1:30 p.m. Cost is $15. Telephone the park at 570-467-2506 to make reservations.

CHILDREN'S WALK - Porcupine Pat McKinney will lead an easy, two-mile walk for children on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. from the Waterfalls Road Pavilion at Sweet Arrow Lake Park in Pine Grove Township. For information, telephone him at 570-622-4124 ext. 113.

DAM TOURS - The public will have a chance to walk atop PPL's Wallenpaupack Dam on Aug. 24 and 25 as part of Wally Lake Fest. Staff members of PPL will lead tours both days between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. from the Wallenpaupack learning center. For those who wish to tour the power plant in Kimbles, bus transportation will be provided from the learning center.

EAGLE STATUS - Bald eagles are so healthy that the Pennsylvania Game Commission might remove them from the list of threatened species. In September, the board is expected to consider changing the birds' status to protected. This year, 266 pairs have nested statewide in 56 counties, an increase from 237 nesting pairs last year. Regulators recommend changing the status if these criteria are met for five consecutive years: more than 150 nests are active statewide in at least 40 counties, at least 60 percent of nests are successful, and an average of 1.2 eaglets fledge per nest.

GARDEN WORKSHOP - A free workshop on straw bale gardening will be led by Sandy Visintainer, Penn State Extension master gardener, at 10 a.m. on Saturday in the Greater Hazleton Chamber of Commerce Board Room, 20 W. Broad St., adjacent to the Downtown Farmers' Market.

GROCERY BAGS - Plastic grocery bags are used for just minutes but take 1,000 years to decompose, a lawmaker who proposes a 2-cent tax per bag to discourage their use said. State Sen. Daylin Leach, D-17, said 1 cent of the fee would help stores recycle and 1 cent would add to the state's recycling programs. Rather than reap tax revenue, Leach hopes to encourage shoppers to bring their own bags.

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